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البحـث الثاني
187
2016
أوابك العلمية لعام
�
ص لبحوث العلمية الفائزة بجائزة
�
عدد خا
مجلة النفط والتعاون العربي
161
العدد
- 2017
أربعون
المجلد الثالث و ال
Re-refining of Used Lubricating Oil and its Economic and Environmental Implications
64
9
Future outlook for the re-refining industry in light of decreasing oil
prices
Despite the attractiveness of re-refining, if it is to survive in the open market it must be
able to compete not only with virgin lube oil operations but with used oil burners as
well. It is well known that there is a competition for feedstock between re-refiners and
used oil burners. The market price of virgin lube oils and fuels impacts to some extent
the availability of the used lube oils. Already in the early seventies, it has been observed
that higher virgin fuels prices in relation to those for virgin lube oils will direct used oils
to fuels market (Cukor et Al, 1973). Conversely, used oils will be directed to re-refiners
in case where virgin fuels prices are lower.
Re-refining has long existed ever since the scarcity for crude oil supplies encouraged the
recycling of all types of products including lubricating oils. Overtime, used lubricating
oils have evolved from an environmental liability into an economic asset, thanks to
technological breakthroughs in re-refining. With increasing stringent environmental
regulations it may become a business necessity rather than an option. The continuing
change in reformulation of automotive lubricants has had a corresponding effect on the
global base oil consumption. It was observed that, amid the new trends in the
lubricating oil industry, there is a tendency to reformulate the lubricants towards
tougher specifications, thereby excluding group I base oils out of the newer automotive
lubricants (Moncrieff, 2013). This is corroborated by the decline of the demand in group
I lubricants (Figure 34). The proportion of Group I stocks in global base oil consumption
has fallen from around 70% in 2000 to 54% in 2012. As a result, group I plant closures
have been observed in Europe and North America (Infineum, 2014). At the same time,
the capacities of group II and III are expanding, at the expense of group I. The acid/clay
technology is declining and its share in the production of lube oil also. In the 1970
nearly 90% of the re-refined base oil was produced by acid/clay technology; by 1974 it
declined to less than 80% and 1977 to less 77% (Liroff, 1977). As of 2012, Group I base
oils with 54% is still the dominant in the global consumption but and it is expected to
continue declining to around 30% by 2030.